Weekly Weigh-in

This week I have lost 1/2 lb (0.25 Kg) and down 0.5% body fat.

There was more sppedwork training and a few more training sessions. The next few weeks there will be more endurance training. This should hopefully help with weight loss.

Tough Training Week

So far this week I have done a lot of tough training. An hour of ironing shirts!!

The next few days the proper training will start again.

Speedwork Weekend

This weekend was speedwork weekend for me.

Saturday morning I did a 5km at fast but comfortable pace and ended up 30 seconds away from my course record. This was helped by trying to beat a running club member who was also doing it but he want of fast which I was banking on my endurance training to help.

I also cycled the 3 miles (5km) to and from this venue. This was a good warm up and down after the event apart from my hands were cold on the way there due to the temperature and wind chill.


Then on Sunday afternoon I had a match to referee. This is normally speed work session going from end to end. When I got there it started to rain so it mad the footing a bit more interesting. My ankle was ok despite the moving in various different directions.

Weekly Weigh-in

This week I have lost 1 1/3 lb (0.6 kg) and my % body fat is down 1% and now back below the 20% level.

This was helped by being back in training more plus being more careful about what I ate.

Spin, Rinse and Run

Today I did Spin class, swimming and running all this afternoon.

The spin class was 30 minutes. My heart rate has never been that high on a bike before not even on the Ironman. That was due to faster than normal cadence (revs), changing resistance and effort.
I enjoyed the session after it was over and may do another one a few weeks time. I was glad I brought a towel and 500ml of lucozade sport, although next time I may bring a BIGGER drink and not wear my t shirt over the top of my tri suit.

Then after work I did a 30 minute swim session which was 100m reps in a 25m pool with narrow lanes.

Then about 15 minutes after that I went running. I did a hill with speedwork session plus I did 3 more reps of the last section of this session. I even went flying past one of the clubs faster runners, they were near the end of an 8 mile run but it was the same hill. I was running for an hour which I felt running and could feel some of my running fitness coming back.

Lessons Learnt from Ironman Nice

Its now been a 4 months since Ironman Nice, which has given me time to reflect on things that I have learnt from this event. They are split into negative and positive things and are roughly ordered on the timeline of the event.


Negative Things Learnt

1. Sea swim - should have practised more than the once a couple of days beforehand.
   
2. Swim sighting - should have learnt the direction of the 2 lap course which would have been helped by better sighting while swimming.
   
3. Cycle computer in the really hot heat - buggered it up (it did not work).
   
4. Wetsuit chaffing - should have tried lubrication on the neckline especially in the salt water, ouch.
   
5. Sun lotion - I should have applied more than normally would. Sun burn on top wet suit chaffing, that was pleasant.
   
6. More cycling required - my longest ride should have done more than 70 miles.
   
7. Hill cycling - more cycling in the hills would be beneficial, although I did do my longest ride up in yorkshire dales.
   
8. It is a long run from swim exit to transition and then the bike mount. More practice running in wetsuit to T1 after a swim would help.
9. Long time in T1 and T2 - I did take my time (10 minutes+) in transition but I did get all the things I wanted for the next stage.
   
10. The food/drink on the cycle - I should have stuck to my nutrition plan on the bike so it would not affect me on the run.
    
11. Run of a long cycle - I should have done more runs of a long bike ride.
    
12. Run in the heat - this would have been hard in England this year, apart from gyms which seem to be always hot.
    
13. Cycle descent - I need to get more confident in the cycle descents, althougth the road surface was not great in places.
14. Marshals on the last 1km of the cycle did not control the people crossing - I nearly hit people at two crossing who walked across without looking!!!
    
15. 4 lap run (to airport and back) - Supported all the way although watching those on the beach having ice cream :-( was not good, also was fed up of seeing the airport when I left.
    

Positive Things Learnt

1. Bike delivery and collection - it was delivered to my hotel in one piece and taken away as I left the transition after the race.
   
2. Air Coniditioning in the trams and hotel room - this was priceless as it was already hot by 8am!!
   
3. Stay relaxed before event - too late to worry about the amount of training done or not.
   
4. Use same restaurant for evening meal - I did not want to try anything new before the race.
   
5. Keep drinking during the day - I kept drinking throughout the day especially as it was about 1 mile work to the hotel.
   
6. Try to keep of feet in the last few days - took a bus tour the day before the race, did not sun bathe as I did not want to get sun burnt and/or dehydrated.
   
7. Acclimatise - I was there a few days earlier than the race which got my used to the heat a bit with just walking around.
   
8. Extra tri suit in T2 plus change of socks - I had these prepared as the combination of salt water and sweating in the heat and sun burn was not a good combination. It also made me felt a bit freshier for the start of the run.
   
9. Extra sun lotion in T2 - although when the person put on my wetsuit and sunburnt neck it was not pleasant.
   
10. Support on the course - there was support on a good section of the bike even in the hills and all the way on the run. It was also good to see other team members on the run as it gave both you a bit of a lift.
    
11. Blood pressure normal after 12 hours - due to the nutrition on the bike and running for one lap and walking the next I went to first aid station to an upset stomach. Before they would give me any paracetmol they took my blood pressure which was normal despite being in the heat and 12 hours in to an ironman.
    
12. Tuc biscuits on the run - I would not have assoicated them with running before but they are salty and something different then the gels, bars, energe (sports drinks) and bannans, they tasted so nice.
    
13. Aid stations every mile on the run - I did not need any of my gels that I had on my tri belt.
    
14. Struggling on the run made the last turn round with just another time to walk back before the 16 cut off but found energy to jog most of it.
15. The food/drink afterwards was good to have something not full of sugar (missed some of the big firework display they had).

Post Dublin Marathon Recovery

After the Dublin I think did have a bit too much of the local recovery food and drinks which explains the weight gain over the last 2 weeks.


A few hours after the marathon I had a light "healthy" snack.

Then that day I had few of the local drink. Then the following day we went to the Guinness Storehouse tour, walking all the time including up and down stairs sideways!!! That video from the FLM is funny but so true.

While there I did try a few more of the samples and even got a certificate for "crafting the perfect pint of Guinness".













The following days there was a lot more miles of walking, drinking and eating!!!